Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

On December 1, 2017, new animal welfare regulations for farm animals began to apply in Sweden. A major part of the government´s recently adopted food strategy is that the pig regulations should be designed to support the goal of a competitive and sustainable food chain with increased production. The aim of this study was to investigate pig producer´s views at pig welfare and the old and new pig regulations and how the regulation changes affect their work. To investigate pig producers views at pig regulations, semi-structured interviews were performed with 14 pig producers at six different pig farms. The result showed that the respondents have similar view on pig welfare. Producers had different opinions about what sustainable pig production is, but overall it was described to be related to stable environment, circulation on the farm and sustainable sows. Moreover the result showed that the respondents don´t have detailed knowledge about the pig regulations. The majority of respondents felt nervous about animal welfare inspections and this was often related to the inspector´s practical experience and personality. Some respondents felt completely calm about animal welfare inspections as they felt confident about their farm and production. In summary, it would be beneficial if authorities improved the availability of information about regulations and updates of changes in regulations. More research is required on alternative castration methods and how the sows are affected by nursing period of three, four and five weeks.